Support Marion County Library Workers

[IndianaGreen]

Support Marion County Library Workers

No doubt you’ve relied on your local library staff to help you find a bestseller, locate a source for your report, or assist you with a litany of other requests. Their tireless dedication deserves recognition and respect, yet Indianapolis library staff members get neither:

When a majority of Indianapolis public library employees decided to form a union to address concerns about their workplace, the library board refused to recognize the union.

Will you take a minute to ask the library board to honor the library staff’s union?

http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/campaign/library_in

So why do the library employees want a union? They said it best themselves:

”As workers, we have silently bore the brunt of the pain brought on by years of excesses and bad management from leaders who allowed us no meaningful input in the choices that were made. We care very deeply about not only our workplace, but about the satisfaction of our patrons as well. We believe that when workers anywhere are devalued and treated unfairly, productivity inevitably suffers. Our patrons mean the world to us, and they deserve us at our best.

We have two choices before us: Quit and leave, or stay and fight to make our library the kind of institution our patrons deserve and that we can be proud to work in. We have chosen the latter.”

Support these workers in their brave decision to fight for the future of our library. Take Action Now:

http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/campaign/library_in

In recent years, the library employees have suffered through cutbacks: no more overtime pay for Sunday work, no annual cost of living raises, and no health benefits for retirees. They also have concerns about workload -- the library has a third fewer staff than it had 10 years ago!

As you may well know, the library's cutbacks have also meant reductions in services and check out delays, resulting in dissatisfaction among the library’s users. The library employees know firsthand what frustrations and suggestions their patrons have, and have offered thoughtful feedback on how to address these concerns. But their input, just like their union, has gone unrecognized.

The librarians want a union to have a say in their workplace—for the benefit of the future of our library, the services they provide to patrons like us, and for respect for their hard work.

Respect for these librarians is long overdue. Tell the Marion County Library Board to recognize the library staff’s union!

http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/campaign/library_in

Thanks for standing up for workers in your community.

Liz Cattaneo
American Rights at Work
www.americanrightsatwork.org

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

1. I think it's pathetic how the libraries

have turned into blockbuster videos now with a good percentage of items checked out being DVD Movies. The Librarians have been turned into video store clerks with a degree.